Igniting a Spark
by clocktowers
Summary: Lily, her friends and the Marauders are beginning their sixth year at Hogwarts. As they mature, tempers will flare and friendships will form, while the threat of Voldemort looms on the horizen. LE/JP SB/OC RM/OC PP/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognise in this story, and some things you may not. [I have a penchant for including characters in my stories that barely made appearances in the actual books.] But I have almost NO ownership of anything in this story.**

The pairings that will be incorporated into this fic are as follows:

Lily/James; Sirius/OC; Remus/OC; Peter/OC; Alice/Frank; and a couple more that I'll add when they pop up. That said, I would like to stress that _almost anything you want changed is able to be changed. _I have plenty of OCs in this fic who will interact with canon characters, and if you happen to ship (OTP, brOTP, etc.) any of them, shoot me a review and I'll see what I can do. :)

/

Lily Evans smiles reassuringly at her parents as she pushes her trolley through the barrier at Platform 9 and 3/4. Even though this is her sixth year and her parents have seen her do this countless times before, they still worry. Lily supposes that she would worry too, if she was one of them and had not known the existence of magic until five years ago. Petunia, her elder sister by a year and a half, just rolls her eyes and sniffs haughtily at her parents' anxious faces. Even though Lily knows by now that her sister cares nothing for her, she still feels a pang of hurt deep inside her at the callous treatment.

As she passes through the barrier, she feels the now familiar sense of enclosure before she's on the other side and waving at her many friends and acquaintances. As Lily moves quickly to the left so as not to be run over by the next student, she spots her friend Elaine near the train.

Elaine Roberts is, like Lily, a Gryffindor, but she is also a Pureblood. The Roberts family traditionally have about one in three children in Slytherin house, but Elaine is the first Gryffindor for many generations, the others tending to gravitate to Ravenclaw, or, occasionally, Hufflepuff. At present, she is the only Roberts attending Hogwarts, though she does have several second and third cousins in Ravenclaw and Slytherin. It would seem natural for Elaine to befriend others in much the same situation as herself, but she'd never been one to be stereotypical. Instead of spending most of her life with Purebloods or Halfbloods, Elaine chose to hang out with two Muggleborn girls, Lily and their other best friend, Asha Taylor.

As Asha is nowhere to be seen at this time, Lily heads over to join Elaine, but stops in her tracks, about two feet away, when she sees the boys Elaine is animatedly conversing with: James Potter and Sirius Black. Really, Lily has no quarrel with the latter, except that she considers him generally annoying and immature because he chases all the eligible girls in the school at some time or anther. Lily and her friends estimate that there are less than fifteen girls in fifth, sixth, or seventh year that have not yet let Sirius Black into their pants.

But James Potter ... He makes Lily mad. He makes her irrational. And most of all, he embarrasses her. When a boy confesses love to you in your second year, having spent the first pranking and generally being an annoying git, you would almost certainly not be amused. And if it happened regularly, like once every two days, in various and embarrassing ways, eventually you get to the irrational despising and shrieking point. Lily has been at this point for four years, and James Potter looks unlikely to be giving up. Lily sighs― Merlin knows she hates the guy, but fate just has to bring them together on the first day.

Thankfully, James turns and walks off, presumably to greet Remus, who has just arrived. About to follow him, Sirius spots Lily and grins at her.

"Hey, Evans."

"Hello, Black," she says nonchalantly.

"Lily!" Elaine shrieks and hugs her best friend.

"Elly!" Lily squeals back.

Sirius watches this, evidently bored. At last he sighs. "Look, I'll see you at the feast tonight. I'm going to see where Wormtail is― he might miss the train again if I don't. And Prongs is about somewhere with Moony."

"He's over there." Elaine points to James, who's currently about to board the train with Peter, apparently having left Remus.

Lily looks in the direction Elaine points, and wrinkles her nose. "In fact, they're all over there."

"Great," Sirius says. "Well, unless you want me to bring them over here, I'm off. Unless of course you'd want to say hello, Evans..." He lets the sentence trail off, looking at her suggestively. "I'm sure Prongs wouldn't mind."

She gives him a funny look. "I bet he wouldn't! He'd be asking me out left right and centre, that's what he'd be doing!"

"Give him credit where it's due, Evans, he hasn't asked you out in months! You've got a bit too high opinion of yourself, if you ask me―"

"I _wasn't_ asking you."

"―Assuming he'll be all over you as soon as we start the year!" Sirius gives her a trademark Black stare, coldly calculating and insinuating inferiority. Then he turns to go back to his friends, with a final parting shot at her: "Give him a chance this year, why don't you?"

Lily huffs and stalks off into the train. Elaine shrugs, tells Sirius to say hello to James for her, and then follows her friend into the train to start their sixth year.

**A/N:**

*waves* Hi, I'm Katie, and this is my first story on this website. I've got accounts on other sites, though :) Reviews are love, as is any commentary at all ღ


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The Hat's song is from book 5, the Order of the Phoenix. And almost everything is J.K Rowling's, I don't own it. **

Sirius watches them stamping, tossing their skeletal heads, neighing in the blood chilling way reserved only for their breed. Thestrals. Just thinking the name makes him cringe, and he hurries his friends into the nearest unoccupied carriage, cutting in front of a few Hufflepuff girls, who, far from being angered, are almost swooning in his presence. Mentally, he snorts derisively.

James voices his thoughts. "Wimps, aren't they! Why do you like 'em so much, Pads?"

Sirius shrugs. "They're alright, just not as girlfriends. You know how it is."

"I don't, actually," Remus says. "But I guess it doesn't matter, not with my . . ." He glances around surreptitiously, and notices the Hufflepuffs, hanging around outside, probably eavesdropping, and batting their eyelids whenever Sirius spares a look in their direction. " . . . Furry little problem."

"You can still date girls, Moony," Sirius asserts. "And if you're that obstinate, just don't get attached. Just look at me, I'm an undesirable Black, and I've got hordes of 'em."

Peter snorts. "Padfoot, you're probably the most attractive of all of us. Those girls over there almost fainted when you said you were undesirable."

"What about me? I am definitely more desirable than that, that, that _carcass_ over there!" asserts James, indignant.

"_Who are you calling a carcass_?"

"You're _both_ desirable," Remus tells them, ever the peacemaker. "Can we get to organising our start of the year prank? Because we've only got now to think it up _and_ execute it - McGonagall won't take her eyes off us this year, after what we did to her . .

All four boys share conspiratorial grins and settle into their normal planning poses. Remus steeples his fingers; Peter leans forward eagerly, almost drooling in a fever of anticipation; Sirius and James slouch against the leather backs of their seats. They think, hard.

Eventually, James smirks, obviously entertaining an interesting new idea. "Now, here's what we'll do . . ."

/

Lily's stomach growls. She blushes, looking around furtively and hoping no one heard the rumble. No such luck, it seems, because the Marauders are approaching. Damned idiots, fooling around, passing classes without doing anything remotely like work. Grudgingly, she excludesRemus and Peter, the former because he actually works, and the latter because she's not completely sure he passes anything.

"Well, hello there, Evans!" James slides smoothly into the seat in front of her, perhaps hoping to impress her. Huh. Fat chance. Sirius Black thumps onto the bench across from her, on the other side of Asha Taylor, a grin on his overly handsome face.

Lily sees an overwhelmed look flit quickly across Asha's face, before it is replaced with her customary inscrutable expression. Lily almost smiles, wondering how exactly Asha pulls off the look and still manages to look intelligent. The many other people she knows who endeavour to look blank end up looking dumbly silent, but for some reason Asha never looks at all lost for words. Lily sets it aside as a matter to contemplate on a rainy day when Remus, looking tired as always, addresses her.

"How was your summer, Lily?"

"Awful." Lily makes a face. "Petunia was always there with her walrus of a boyfriend, Vernon."

"Oh?"

"Yes, always sniping and making snide little comments about reform school ..." She scowls.

James' eyes widen in surprise. "_Reform_ school? You?"

"Vernon doesn't know about magic, and Petunia plans to keep it that way."

"Ah," he says knowingly, making Lily's blood boil. How would he know, the Pureblooded git?

But before she can retort, Professor Sprout brings out a limp, disreputable black hat and a wooden stood, and Professor McGonagall leads a long line of terrified first-years into the hall. The first-year's, faces glowing in the watery candlelight, look shocked when a large rip slightly above the hat's brim opens, and it begins to sing.

"_In times of old when I was new_

_ Hogwarts barely started_

_The founders of our noble school_

_Thought never to be parted;_

_United by a common goal,_

_They had the selfsame yearning,_

_To make the world's best magic school_

_And pass along their learning._

_'Together we will build and teach!"_

_The four good friends decided_

_And never did they dream that they_

_Might someday be divided,_

_For were there such friends anywhere_

_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_

_Unless it was the second pair_

_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_

_So how could it have gone so wrong?_

_How could such friendships fail?_

_Why, I was there and so can tell_

_The whole sad, sorry tale. _

_Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those_

_Whose ancestry is purest."_

_Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose _

_Intelligence is surest."_

_Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those _

_With brave deeds to their name."_

_Said Hufflepuff, " I'll teach the lot,_

_And treat them just the same."_

_These differences caused little strife_

_When they first came to light, _

_For each of the four founders had_

_A house in which they ugly_

_Take only those they wanted, so, _

_For instance, Slytherin_

_Took only pure-blood wizards_

_Of great cunning, just like him._

_And only those of sharpest mind_

_Were taught by Ravenclaw_

_While the bravest and the boldest_

_Went to daring Gryffindor._

_Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest, _

_And taught them all she knew,_

_Thus the houses and their founders_

_Retained friendships firm and true._

_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_

_For several happy years, _

_But then discord crept among us_

_Feeding on our faults and fears._

_The houses that, like pillars four, _

_Had once held up our school,_

_Now turned upon each other, and, _

_Divided, sought to rule_

_And for a while it seemed the school _

_Must meet an early end,_

_What with duelling and with fighting_

_And the clash of friend on friend. _

_And at there came a morning_

_When old Slytherin departed,_

_And although the fighting then died out_

_He left us quite downhearted._

_And never since the founders four_

_Were whittled down to three_

_Have the houses been united as they once were meant to be._

_And now the Sorting Hat is here _

_And you all know the score;_

_I sort you into houses _

_Because that is what I'm for._

_But this year I'll go further,_

_Listen closely to my song:_

_Though condemned I am to split you_

_Still I worry that it's wrong._

_Though I must fulfil my duty_

_And must quarter every year_

_Still I wonder whether Sorting_

_May not bring the end I fear. Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_

_The warning history shows, _

_For our Hogwarts is in danger _

_From external, deadly foes._

_And we must unite inside her_

_Or we'll crumble from with_

_I have told you, I have warned you . . . _

_Let the Sorting now begin."_

The three Marauders' faces show identical, gaping expressions of shock. Lily and Elaine look less gormless, though they too are wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Asha's eyes are wide and her eyebrows have shot impressively far up her face. The entire Great Hall is quiet enough for a dropped pin to be heard, if there had been a person willing and alert enough to drop one. But there is not - Hogwarts has frozen.

"Um," a small first year girl murmurs. "Was that not supposed to happen?"

Sirius snickers and, as if he had broken the silencing spell, the Great Hall erupts into conversation, only to be silenced again by Professor McGonagall beginning the Sorting. "Abbot, Malcolm."

The Marauders keep up a hushed conversation, only giving perfunctory applause to Sandra Baker and Liam Costan as they are subsequently sorted into Gryffindor. "D'you think it's given warnings before?" asks James worriedly, and Remus and Sirius mutter answers that Lily cannot hear, but which nonetheless give her goosebumps. James Potter, worried about something or than Quidditch or his hair? Impossible. So she turns her back on them as best she can, being squished in the midst of Remus and James, and radiates outraged and very pointed silence.

"Saunders, Valerie."

It's the girl who'd asked the question about the Sorting Hat's song. Interest piqued, Remus elbow Sirius and James, and the Marauders turn to watch.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The Hat's yell resonates through the Hall, and, smiling rather bemusedly, Valerie Saunders walks to the nearest end of the Gryffindor table and perches on the edge of the bench.

Sirius grins. "I like that one, Prongs, Moony."

"Bit young for you, isn't she, Black?" The unexpected question comes from Asha, who, as far as Sirius can remember, has never addressed him in her life.

He doesn't let himself be fazed, though. What is she but another girl? "Ah, I suppose, Taylor. She's not much of a looker, anyhow. You, however. . ." he lets the sentence trail off suggestively. It's true, he realises, that is she is quite attractive. Slender, with long black hair and eyes almost as dark, she paints a rather Oriental picture.

She cannot be aware of his thoughts, yet she looks repulsed, and Sirius realises it must be because of his comment. "In your dreams, Black. And my nightmares . . ."

Sirius huffs, unable to think of a suitable reply. She'll want him soon, he knows. Just wait and see.

**Reviews are love ;) But this'll continue to go up no matter the review count, so. Until next time**

** 一Katie xx**


	3. Chapter 3

When the first roast explodes, Elaine knows it is going to be good. But by the thirteenth, she is pretty much ready to garrotte every single one of the Marauders, fantastic pranks or no.

"Exploding fowl?" she hears Lily mutter, probably looking around for Potter to get a head start on insulting him. "Is that _seriously_ the best they can do?" But perhaps James is safe; Elaine sees with some surprise that her friend is grinning when there is a loud bang from Snape's general area.

Karen elbows her. "Look at the floor! What have they _done_ to it?"

Words are forming in smears on the stone floor. Merlin, Elaine thinks, it's going to be hard to clean up. Next to her, Karen rises on her toes to see written on the floor what Elaine already can. '_With compliments of Gryfinndor Sixth Year._'

"Hey," Sirius calls to her, smirking. "Good, eh?"

Elaine laughs. "Look at McGonagall's _face_!" Indeed, their Head of House's features looks as if a thundercloud has passed across them.

The boy just grins at her, ignoring the razor sharp glares from both the Transfiguration teacher and Lily. "Exploding the fowl _on_ the foul. You're welcome."

It sounded good and looked good, Elaine thinks later, but when their Head of House came storming down on them in fury, the consequences turned out to be anything but.

/

Many hours of hard work later, Elaine flops onto her bed, groaning. Across the room, Lily and Karen do the same with muted grumbles. "Merlin, I'm tired."

Lily mutters something into her quilt and Asha laughs from her perch on the end of the bed. "Didn't catch that, Lils."

"Bet you," Elaine stage-whispers, "that she mentioned James."

Lily recovers enough to throw her pillow at her friend. "What I said was that there'd better be hell to pay for that."

"There _was_ hell to pay," Karen reminds her. "We paid it. Or do you not remember cleaning the Great Hall without magic for four hours?"

"I meant for Potter, idiot."

"It wasn't just him," Elaine points out. "He couldn't have charmed all the roast on the Slytherins table on his own; anyway, that isn't his style."

"They _all_ owned up to it," Asha reminds them.

"Painting that on the floor _was_ a touch of genius," Elaine says. "It was a good idea."

Karen laughs. "Except for the fact that they incriminated us too. And until Lily cursed him, that is."

"When was this?" Elaine asks, curious. "Did I miss something?"

"Lily charmed the pumpkin juice on the Hufflepuff table and directed it to Potter." Karen laughs. "It was, uh, interesting."

"It worked," Asha acknowledges. "But McGonagall didn't like it."

"Detention the first night of the year, Lily?" Elaine shakes her head in mock-sorrow. "_You_?" and Lily reaches over and lobs Karen's pillow at her friend. Grinning, Elaine stacks it on top of the two already on her bed.

"What was that curse, anyway?" Asha asks. "I didn't recognise it."

"It was one of the spells Severus created." Lily doesn't fail to notice the way her friends' face crease at the sound of the Slytherin boy's name.

"Was he high when he thought it up?" Elaine asks, grinning.

Karen responds, an identical smile across her features, "I don't think he's been high in his life!"

"I haven't either," Lily protests, "it's not abnormal," but Elaine waves the comment away.

"The last time you drank Butterbeer, you were making out with Finnigan in the common room."

"Potter spiked that punch," Lily argues. "And that was the _only_ time."

"_I_ haven't," Asha reminds them.

Elaine groans at her. "Nobody can get you to drink!"

"Because someone needs to control you at one in the morning when you're threatening to throw Black in the fire."

"That happened _once_." Elaine opens her mouth to continue, but Lily cuts across her. "No, but we really need to _do_ something, guys. We've wasted four hours cleaning up the Hall because Potter charmed the potatoes."

"What do you want to do?" Karen asks, but Lily is silent, stumped for ideas larger than the one of retribution that currently occupies her mind, and none of the others offer any thoughts.

"Well, I'll do whatever you want," Elaine says, "as long as I can sleep now." She yawns. "I was up at six this morning just to get to the station on time."

Lily nods in agreement and removes her pillow from under Elaine's. "Let's sleep on it. But we have to do something. I'm sick of Potter."

Elaine slings her legs off the bed and moves to her trunk to find her pyjamas. "Lily, love, you're _always_ sick of Potter."

/

**Thanks for reading, reviews are ****_always_**** appreciated, and I apologise for a) the fact this is a filler, b) that this is not fantastically written, and c) the rather late update. **

** 一****Katie xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: C'mon, guys, I know there are a few of you who've followed this ... Can I have maybe one review for the last chapter/this chapter? I know they're barely mediocre, so criticising isn't too hard, is it? **

It takes exactly four days before the Gryfindor common room plays host to the first James/Lily shouting match of the year. Sirius considers sticking around to provide moral support for his friend, but honestly, after five years he's pretty much sick of the entire charade. He stays just long enough to provoke Lily with a single comment 一 "It's just sexual tension, Evans, get over it and snog him already!" 一 and then he evacuates quickly when she gives him her trademark _Sirius-Black-You-Are-_History_-When-I-Get-To-You_ death glare.

Half past ten at night means that the halls are relatively quiet. The First, Second and Third Year students have curfew at seven, and the other four year levels are less inclined to be out in the corridors at night; although barely any of them will be in bed, their curfew is nine o'clock. Just to be sure, though, he avoids the South wing, where many of the abandoned classrooms are situated 一 there probably won't be a warm welcome for him if he finds and interrupts a couple. He looks up in surprise, turning around when he hears footsteps on the stone floor behind him, wondering whether Elaine or one of the Marauders has followed him. But he raises an eyebrow at the figure who appears.

"Out late, Taylor?" He notices she does look slightly dishevelled, as well as shocked to see him, so naturally he falls in step to walk beside her.

After a moment, she shrugs. "Hufflepuff patrol this wing tonight. They don't notice much."

"It's after curfew ..." He lets the sentence trail off meaningfully, then resumes it, inclining his head towards the South wing. "Were you busy?"

She rolls her eyes. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"How should I know what you get up to after class? Though I normally know ... _those_ girls." He winks at her, and she grimaces.

"I bet you do. Why don't you go find one?"

"Busy," he says. "The Divination tower isn't used at night and people never use it otherwise; Bentleigh's too creepy. I need fresh air." He wonders why he's telling her this, and mentally shakes himself. He doesn't even know this girl! What'll he tell her next: their Animagus secret?

"I suppose that makes sense," she says more quietly, then raises an eyebrow. "But if you're just looking for fresh air, why don't you just go outside? Or is that too risky for you?"

"Risky?" he says incredulously. "Taylor, you're talking to the guy who broke the record for most detentions in fifth year. _Risky_ is my middle name."

"Right," she says skeptically, slowing as they arrive at a place where the corridor splits into two. He'll continue up, and presumably she'll keep on straight. "Well, you go on up to your safe little tower then. Maybe I'll wave to you from the ground."

He stares at her back as she heads off down the hall that leads to the grounds. "Taylor, wait!"

She turns, grimacing at the loud sound. "What is it, Black? And why must you be so loud?"

"It's one of my charms," he tells her, hurrying to catch up.

"Could you take you and your charms off to the tower, maybe?"

"You wish."

She sighs. "I do." But she makes no other comment or attempt to get rid of him.

"Where are we going, then?"

"Are you following me?"

"Well, yeah," he says.

"That's disturbing on several levels." She tilts her head to the side, eyeing him warily. "But I was going ..." She shrugs. "Out."

"That's well-planned."

"Oh, shut up."

Eventaully they head outside, walking, in what is surprisingly not uncomfortable silence, to the lake. The leaves crunch underneath him when he sits; the moon is barely a sliver in the sky.

"So," Sirius says, "about Evans and James." He says this only to dispel the silence, but the moment he finishes he realises what a good idea it is. Quite apart from anything else, Sirius realises, if he can set up his friend, he won't find himself effectively locked out of his own common room again.

"What about them?"

"We need to set them up. It's exhausting calming Pron- James down after a fight. And he pines if she isn't around, bloody idiot that he is."

She sighs. "You can say that again. It drives Karen up the wall, but maybe that's just because she's the best at listening to the rants."

Sirius leans forward, genuinely interested. "So you don't calm her down much?"

"Nope." An emotion flashes across her face. He frowns, but the expression is gone almost before he registers it. "Karen says I'm not good at saying the right things. Apparently I seem that way to the general population."

"As far as I know, you don't talk to many people," he says honestly. "So how would they know?"

She grins, but then strangely she bites her lip and stops smiling altogether. "It remains a mystery. But anyway, I'm not sure I should help you with this."

"Awww, why, Taylor?"

"Why should I? Lily's my best friend, and she wants nothing to do with Potter."

"Look," Sirius tries to reason with her. "It can't hurt them, can it? And it'll help if she's even just a tiny bit more disposed towards him than she is now."

"If it's _your_ plan, it's probably hard-wired to hurt them."

"You wrong me, Taylor!" Sirius places his hand across his heart and tries to look anguished. From the sceptical look on her face, he can tell it isn't working. "Would I ever hurt them on purpose?"

"Um, yes."

"Only Evans! Pron -James would be safe."

Asha rolls her eyes. "Merlin and Circe, Black, you say that like it's supposed to reassure me."

"You forgot Hecate."

"Black?"

"Yeah?"

"Just shut up."

"If you help me then I'll ask Remus to ask you out," Sirius says, positive he has a winning argument this time.

"What? No!" Far from being won over, the girl looks repulsed.

Hmm. Perhaps not. "You don't want Remus to ask you out?"

Asha turns an admirable shade of red, considering her olive skin tone. "No thanks. I'm alright."

"Then... What do you want?"

"Seriously? Right now, all I want is for you to leave me alone -"

"-so that you can gaze into the watery depths of the Lake and contemplate your cruel fate?"

"Have you been reading Selena's trashy romance novels again?" Asha asks, looking skyward.

"We broke up a week ago."

"That's tantamount to avoiding the question, Black, but it doesn't really matter. The point is that I - oh, fine, I'll help you if you promise to not hurt Lily and preferably not hurt Potter as well."

"Really?" he says hopefully.

She sighs. "Well, it _is_ nearly our last year. And as long as it doesn't hurt them..." Asha lets the sentence trail off suggestively.

"I knew you couldn't resist my charm," Sirius grins.

She wrinkles her nose. "_No_, Black. Don't push it."

With this, Sirius has to be content.


	5. Authors Note

Um, hi. I'd just like to apologise for the two-month-long hiatus. I've been trying to work out what I'm going to di with this, since it was planned out terribly and had a lot of flawed ideas/plot. I'm doing Camp Nano this month, so I figured I might as well make this my project. :) The chapters I've already uploaded have about a 99.992% chance of going down (99.99 because I'm confident, 2 so I have a way to back out and not look totally stupid) because like I said before, _flaws. _So I'd like to say thanks for all the follows and reviews and hits, and if you stick around for the best part of a week, you'll get a look at the better version of this story. Thanks again, and I hope to see you then :)

一Katie xx


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